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An outstanding community event coming up this week will honor a pair of Suffolk educators, recognize Suffolk’s new Commonwealth’s Attorney, remember the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and raise money for scholarships for Suffolk students, all in one fantastic event.

How could it get any better?

This is the eighth annual MLK Day of Service Event hosted by the S. Delois Mayes Scholarship Foundation. This is always a great event, and it continues to get better.

As our community and the world still struggle to claw our way out of the insidious effects of the global pandemic — effects that have not left any aspect of life untouched, including our schools — educators have been among those community heroes holding us all together. We’re so glad two of these educators have been chosen for special recognition by the scholarship foundation.

Claudette Pierre is a special education teacher at John Yeates Middle School. Violene Sharpe is a math teacher at Lakeland High School. Both have more than 20 years of teaching experience. You can read more about them in Rachel Austin’s story starting on the front page.

In addition, this event will feature a keynote speech by Suffolk’s new Commonwealth’s Attorney, Narendra Pleas, which folks certainly will not want to miss.

Perhaps most importantly, this event will help provide scholarships for local students while remembering Dr. King’s enduring legacy.

This scholarship foundation awarded a total of $16,000 in scholarships in 2021 alone. What a fabulous resource for our local students as they head off to college to gain knowledge and experience for their future careers.

The Eighth Annual MLK Day of Service Event will take place virtually at 10 a.m. on Jan. 17. To learn more, donate or watch the live stream, visit sdmscholarshipfoundation.com.